ABC’s ‘Scandal’ will have its very own Donald Trump-inspired character

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share via Email
• Copy Link

  Link Copied

This week, Scandal is drawing its inspiration from the real world 2016 presidential election, with a Donald Trump-inspired character.  The show’s team says the character will be a familiar face returning just in time for the White House race.

“There might be parallels coming,” Bellamy Young (a.k.a Mellie) said of the character. Scandal’s star actress Kerry Washington teased a little further saying, “If you think the debates you’ve seen in the real world are fun …”

Kerry Washington wants Beyoncé on ‘Scandal’

At a special sneak peak during the 2016 PaleyFest celebration in Los Angeles, Shonda Rhimes admitted that Election 2016 has influenced her own writing, sometimes forcing her to change course as the real world takes strange turns.

“We did have some moments where I would run back to the writers room and I would say, ‘Hey there’s some dialogue that we need to cross out because it kind of already happened,'” Rhimes admitted.

“The election right now is its own thing. You can’t make that stuff up,” she added.

Shonda Rhimes’ Romeo and Juliet sequel ‘Still Star-Crossed’ gets ABC pilot

Still, despite the new twists and turns, Rhimes insisted that the series is still all about the heart of the show: Olivia Pope’s journey. “Olivia is on a journey,” Rhimes said. “Olivia’s been on a journey since we started. It’s interesting to me that her primary story is a romance. That’s what you’ve seen. To me, her primary story has been discovery of herself.”

Scandal has been renewed for a sixth season and to all gladiators who are wondering how much longer the show will run, Rhimes has an answer for you.

“We know where it ends and when it ends.”

Shonda Rhimes admits she has no tolerance for difficult actors